The History of Chestnut Street Hockey
The Beginnings (2009-2010) Founding and 2009 Lafanut Cup The Chestnut Street Lumberjack Mafia was founded in 2009 by Caleb Smith and Nate Collins. Chestnut Street played its inaugural game in June of 2009 against Lafayette Street. "The Lumberjacks" fought valiantly, but was simply not good enough to hold off Lafayette's firepower, as Lafayette won 9-5 in blowout fashion. The young Chestnut team faced adversity, and simply did not have the experience or skill that Lafayette possessed. The lone bright spot was a Ty B hat trick. Devin "Speedbump" Owens, of Chestnut Street, was also the first person to ever score in what became known as "The Lafanut Cup". This was the beginning of the greatest rivalry in sports' history, and it would ALWAYS be played each year on the last day of school from 2009-2013. 2010 Lafanut Cup Chestnut Street once more came back up to Lafayette Street the next year in hopes of bringing back The Cup. Chestnut fought hard, and the goals went back and forth the whole game. Rookie Ben Cristofano scored in his first ever game. The goals were also scored by Nate Collins (2), Jake, and Ty B. Also, Chestnut Street also welcomed new other new faces such as Christian Butera and Putt Putt Pete. However, despite these additions, it was still not enough for Chestnut to win the game. Lafayette Street won the game, and took a 2-0 series lead off of a late Coleslaw goal. The Lumberjack Mafia ended up losing 6-5 in a game that seemed "so close, yet so far" from being a Chestnut Street victory. To make matters worse, the team had to walk back home in the rain, which made the loss hurt even more. Chestnut Street, and its fans, were dejected after losing 2 years in a row. They had played 2 games in 2 years, and had lost both. After over 600 days since Chestnut Street was established, The Lumberjack Mafia still had yet to come away with its first victory. Chestnut also lost a number of players after the frustrating 2010 year, such as Jake Walko, Ben Cristofano, and Davy B, who were "tired of losing". In fairness though, the whole team was tired of losing. After Game 2, Chestnut Street Captain and Goalie, Caleb Smith, was aware that some of his players were planning to quit. He vowed to the team "Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS". The Glory Days : 2011-2013 Lafanut Cup 2011 Chestnut Street was determined to beat Lafayette Street in Game 3. Despite a lack of players, The Lumberjack Mafia still believed that they could come away with the victory. It started well for the Mafia, as Nate Collins had an early goal, and Chestnut took a 1-0 lead into the 2nd Period. Early in the 2nd, 3rd-year Veteran Dan Smith, came up with his first career goal to make it 2-0. However, Lafayette tied the score at 2 apiece after goals by Sam Kisic and Armando Novelli. However, Chestnut Street was not going to be denied. Newcomer Brayden Reynolds, later to be voted Rookie of the Year by teammates, scored a goal after the opening faceoff in the 3rd Period. A second Nate Collins goal in the 3rd Period sealed the deal for a 4-2 Chestnut Street victory. The Lumberjack Mafia had finally won their first game, and they did it in upset fashion. They still had a long way to go, as Lafayette still had a 2-1 Series lead, but it was a step in the right direction. This was arguably the most important game in Chestnut Street History, because if the Mafia did not take home a win at Lafayette, the team would have likely disbanded. Lafanut Cup 2012 Since the 4-2 victory in the 2011 Lafanut Cup, Ben Cristofano, Jake Walko, and Davy Beardshall decided to rejoin the team in hopes that they could pull off a victory for the second year in a row. For the first year ever, The Lumberjack Mafia was favored entering the Game. Because of a Jake Walko hat trick, Chestnut Street won by a score of 7-5, and was able to tie the Series at 2-2. Walko would later go on to win Chestnut's Comeback Player of the Year award, awarded to player that shows most improvement from the previous year. More importantly, however, was the redemption. When Game 4 ended, the rain started coming down. Although, it felt like the ultimate redemption though, as this year, Chestnut walked home in the rain IN VICTORY, unlike 2010. The stage was set for the do-or-die, Series Finale, Game 5 that would occur the next year... 2013 Season The 2013 Season for the Chestnut Street Lumberjack Mafia was very significant. Not only was the stage set for the Finale against Lafayette Street, but it was the first year in which the Lumberjack Mafia played more than one game. On June 2, 3 days before Game 5 of the Lafanut Cup, the Lumberjack Mafia faced a team from Scott Park led by Mitch Montani. While they're team was loaded with two ice hockey players, the Lumberjack Mafia manhandled the Scott Park team, also known as "The Lindow Goons". Nate Collins chipped in 6 goals in a 10-6 romp of Scott Park. The Lafanut Cup: The GAME in which everyone was raving about for not only the last year, but the last 5 years: The Game that would decide who wins the Lafanut Cup Series, the matchup between the two biggest rivals in all of sports! Tensions were high. Stakes were even higher. Whoever won would have bragging rights forever, and whoever lost would have a bad taste in their mouths: the agony of defeat. This Game would decide all others before it. This was Game 5. Right off the opening faceoff, Lafayette Street had control. They took a 1-0 lead into the second period, and held Chestnut to just 2 shots on net in the opening segment. Lafayette also scored 2 minutes into the second period. However, a Nate Collins goal, followed by a Ben Cristofano goal opened the floodgates for Chestnut. The Lumberjack Mafia went on a 4-0 run in the second period, making the score 4-2 in favor of the Mafia. Chestnut had the 2 goal edge going into the final period of the final game. Just a minute into the third period, John "Sweeney" Todd, of Lafayette, struck to make it 4-3, only to be answered by another Ben Cristofano goal. The final minutes however, were dominated by Lafayette. The 5-3 Chestnut lead was erased after goals from Armando Novelli and David Verduci tied the score. With the final 2 minutes of the game ending in a draw, it was going to overtime. The legendary ending of the most legendary game of the most legendary Series was about to occur. The fate of the Series would be decided on one goal, and whoever scored first in the sudden death overtime was going to take home the trophy...for good. Just minutes into OT, what appeared to be a Jake Walko goal was later called back due to controversy, and Lafayette insisting that it was not a goal. Chestnut Street Legend says that when Jake shot the ball, it hit the tape in the upper right hand corner of the post, making it no goal. However, minutes later, in what would go down in Chestnut Street lore, Dan Smith put in the game winner. Chestnut had won the game, and more importantly, the Series. They had achieved the improbable: coming back and taking the All-Time series lead against Lafayette. Also, Chestnut had officially gone over 1,000 consecutive days without a loss. The End of An Era Despite being on top of the world though, the Lumberjack Mafia realized that they would be losing arguably their three most valuable assets of the last 5 years. Chestnut's future was unclear, as they lost their Goalie (and Captain) Caleb Smith, and their 2 All-Time leading scorers at the time in Nate Collins (Assistant Captain) and Ty B. The fans were nervous that there would not be a 2014 Season. However, due to the new leadership of Veterans Christian Butera and Dan Smith, a new age of Chestnut Street Hockey was dawning. The Second Age, some might call it. A Golden Age of Chestnut Street hockey was coming... The Second Age of Chestnut Street Hockey A New Era Despite the departures of Veterans Caleb Smith, Nate Collins, Ty B, and Devin "Speedbump" Owens, the Lumberjack Mafia was still able to fight another day. Also, the hockey team from Lafayette Street was disbanded. Many conflicts such as drug problems, street fights, and crimes have been linked to Lafayette over the years, and so their team disbanded and went their own separate ways. Also, it didn't help them that they lost their final three games, and the team became weakened and discouraged. However, the Lumberjack Mafia remained strong. It was during these years the The Birdland Cup was introduced against the Birdland Whalers. Led by Mitch Montani, this team was built for the sole reason of dethroning the Mafia. 2014 Series: Game 1 Chestnut Street came into the Game as heavy favorites. The team had entered it's 6th year, and was ready for a new matchup. Game 1 was a demolishing of the Whalers. Despite falling into an early 2-0 hole, Chestnut was able to come back and score the next 8 out of 9 goals in the game, to take a 8-3 lead into the third period of play. Two late goals from Dave Kukulka and the Whalers made the score a respectable 8-5. However, Chestnut came away from Birdland with the win, and that was all that really mattered. 2014 Series: Game 2 The Lumberjack Mafia was ready to take on the Birdland Whalers for Game 2 of the Birdland Cup. Coming into the Game, the Lumberjack Mafia had an attitude and belief that they would just come in and easily get by the Whalers, as they were able to do in The Series Opener. However, this was not the case. For the second consecutive game, Birdland struck first. However, Dan Smith was able to score for the Lumberjack Mafia to tie the game early. After another Birdland goal, Smith also scored the 2nd Chestnut goal of the game too. As time elapsed, game conditions worsened. After 2 Christian Butera goals, and 1 each from Jake Walko and Ben Cristofano, Chestnut gave Chestnut a 6-5 lead. However, Birdland was not done yet. A Wil Snyder goal with just under the 5 minute mark tied the game late in the 3rd Period. The remainder of the period remained scoreless. This meant Overtime for the Lumberjack Mafia, and the heavily under-dogged Whalers had the opportunity to beat the Mafia and end the 3 year win streak. Then, just like Overtime of the 2013 Lafanut Cup, controversy struck. What appeared to be a Putt Putt Pete goal was ruled a no goal. Chestnut was sure that they got gypped a goal. Some wanted to just quit and go home, and Putt Putt Pete was rightfully indignant. To this day, Chestnut still believes that that was a goal. It doesn't matter though. Two minutes later, Jake Walko put in the game-winner. It was redemption for the goal that was turned back in the 2013 Lafanut Cup. Walko was later awarded with the 2014 MVP. With that, Chestnut Street was able to squeak by with the victory, and the 2014 Series was over. Chestnut took the best-of-three series 2-0. This narrow victory extended the Lumberjack Mafia's winning streak to 4 years in a row without a loss, and it left Birdland seeking for revenge... 2015 Series: Game 1 On March 13, 2015, Chestnut Street began the Best of 5 Game Series against the Whalers. For the 2nd straight game, the weather was poor. For the first time in Series History, the Lumberjack Mafia scored the first goal, via a direct assist from Brayden Reynolds to Dan Smith. The Whalers, led by Jake Casto and Dave Kukulka took the lead 3-1. Before the end of the first period, a late goal by Ben Cristofano cut the Whalers' lead in half, making it 3-2. Both teams tied the 2nd Period with two goals each. Heading into the final period, The Whalers had a 5-4 edge. Chestnut goals from Dan Smith and Brayden Reynolds enabled Chestnut to come within one with 11 minutes remaining. The Whalers maintained the narrow 8-7 lead until 2:40 mark left in the game. Chestnut Street "clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast. They thought, if only Brayden Reynolds could get a whack at that". Sure enough, he did. Reynolds delivered a clutch goal to tie the game. Just when everyone thought the game was heading to overtime, Ben Cristofano put in a much-needed goal with just over a minute left, and Jake Walko made it 10-8 on an empty net goal. Chestnut had survived. The Whalers had sunk. 2015 Series: Game 2 Chestnut Street hosted Game 2 at McGlaughlin Park. It was Chestnut's first ever "home game" though it was not actually played on Chestnut Street. Things started out well for the Mafia, who took a 2-1 lead into the 2nd Period after goals from Ben Cristofano and Jake Walko. Chestnut also outscored the Whalers 3-2 in the 2nd Period of play, taking a 5-3 lead into the Game's final period. Another Ben Cristofano goal made it 6-3. Chestnut was ready to put the game away. However, with clutch goals from Joe Bambraugh and Mitch Montani down the stretch, and fantastic goalie play from Rookie Marty Zender, Chestnut blew a 6-3 lead and it was 6-6 when regulation expired. Chestnut was once again going to overtime. Overtime was a struggle for the Mafia, as they had a tough time getting things going. About 5 minutes into the sudden-death period, a Ben Cristofano slapshot had sealed the deal for Game 2. It was his 4th of the game, and Chestnut, once again, would live to fight another day and keep their superb win streak alive. The stage was set for Game 5, what Chestnut hoped to be the final Game of the 2015 Series. 2015 Series: Game 3 Birdland played host for Game 5 of the 2015 Birdland Cup. They re-welcomed Ray Lindow as part of the squad and called up Anthony Ferella in an attempt to take down the Lumberjack Mafia. However, Game 5 started out for Chestnut Street the best way it could have: Chestnut Street pitching a 1st Period shutout and taking a 2-0 lead into the 2nd. Chestnut's defense was seemingly unstoppable, as it only let up three first period shots, all saved by Jason Bratetich. Goals from Christian Butera and Matt Smith gave Chestnut an early edge. In the words of Max the Monster, "our defensive seminar has proven to be successful", referring to the recent team meeting of the defensive unit. However, the 2nd Period did not go the same way. Goals from Anthony Ferella and Cam Lane had tied the game at 2 all. Chestnut struggled and was shutout in the second period. It certainly had the look of a low scoring slugfest. The Lumberjack Mafia wanted to create a spark to start the 3rd Period. They certainly did. On the period's opening faceoff, Dan Smith took the puck down the rink and scored an almost uncontested goal. On the very next faceoff, Dan Smith once more got the puck. Smith passed it off to Ben, who passed it to Jake Walko, who scored to make it 4-2. It was perhaps the prettiest play in Chestnut Street history, and it more importantly gave Chestnut Street a 2 goal cushion. Twenty seconds later, a Dan Smith rebound goal from a Ben Cristofano shot made it 5-2. After Birdland scored to cut the deficit to 2, Matt Smith scored from a direct pass from Aidan Krieg. Chestnut once again led 6-3 with 12 minutes to play. Although, an epic comeback, led by Anthony Ferella, Joe Bambraugh, and Mitch Montani made it 6-5 with 2 minutes to play. Mitch Montani capped the Birdland rally with a goal to tie it with just under two minutes to go. The remainder of the 3rd Period was scoreless. Chestnut Street once again blew a 6-3 3rd Period lead, and once again Chestnut was headed to Overtime. This would be the 3rd Birdland Cup Game out of the last 4 to go to Overtime headed 6-6. It became a strange case of déjà vu. Chestnut was once again on the verge of losing its winning streak. The game that Chestnut should have put away and sent Birdland home was going to overtime. Nonetheless, after several saves by Birdland Goaltender, Marty Zender, Ben Cristofano was able to score the Game-Winner off of a rebound from a Jake Walko shot. It was Cristofano's first goal of the game, but also the game's most crucial one. Ben had proved to be the most clutch player on the ice. Because of his 8 goals in the Best-of-5 Game Series, including 2 consecutive Game-Winners, he was awarded with the MVP of the 2015 Series. Chestnut Street had somehow pulled out ''another ''close victory to extend their winning streak to 5 successive years without a loss. The Lumberjack Mafia had now gone 1,788 straight days without losing.